Love Potion 9
by i r o n key
Summary: The Second War has ended and Harry's life has never been better. However, a love potion gone wrong is about to turn his life upside down. Post 7th year. AU: Snape is still alive. R
1. A Potion Gone Wrong

**Love Potion 9**

Disclaimer: If I was J.K. Rowling, number one, I wouldn't be writing a disclaimer, and number two, I wouldn't have the time to write this.

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**Ch. 1- A Potion Gone Wrong**

Hermione Granger sat in her living room pondering what seemed to be, a hopeless case. For seven years she has tried to get Harry Potter to realize her secret feelings for him, and for seven years she has failed. She was starting to get desperate. _'I must have him... I can't live without him... but what should I do?... It's obvious that he loves Ginny...Should I threaten him?... threaten to commit suicide?...blackmail?...make a love potion?...That's it!...a love potion...he'll never know what hit him.'_

A slightly evil smirk formed on Hermione's face. She had finally thought of a way to make Harry love her. Her smirk grew as she pictured the scene; one moment he would be his normal, oblivious self, and the next he would be on one knee, begging her to marry him. '_A love potion...' _she thought with a chuckle, '_Why didn't I think of that sooner? Well, sure, they are a bit finicky... but whatever... To the library!'_

Love Potion 9 (for the desperate witch):

Boil two gallons of water

Stir in one cup of ground unicorn horn

Simmer for thirty minutes

Add two cups of moonstone- stir twelve times counterclockwise

Simmer ten minutes

Add fairy dust- mix well...

Hermione followed the recipe closely. This is one potion she did not want to mess up. Unfortunately, she failed to notice the warning at the bottom of the page.

Warning: This potion takes one hour before it becomes effective. After the hour is up, victim will fall in love with the first woman he sees.

Harry Potter dressed himself in his best robes. _'It sure is nice of Hermione to throw me a birthday party at her place... I hope she invites Ginny... I just know that I'll win Ginny over some day... and maybe that day is today.'_

He glanced at his watch and proceeded to apparate to Hermione's. When he got there, only Hermione was waiting for him. She was seated at a little table set for two.

"Happy Birthday, Harry!" she smiled. Harry noted that she had tamed her wild hair for the occasion.

"Where is everybody," asked Harry, slightly confused.

"Their-er- running late. Here, have something to drink while you wait." Hermione handed Harry a butterbeer. He drank it, obviously unaware that it wasn't an ordinary butterbeer. Hermione smiled to herself thinking, _'I've got him at last!' _Harry finished the drink and sat down. Hermione waited for the potion to kick in and make Harry confess his eternal love for her.

When, a half hour later, he still hadn't done so, Hermione decided to make the first move. She sat next to him, wrapped her arms around him, and attempted to kiss him.

"Hermione! What are you doing? What if everyone had walked in just then?" said Harry while he attempted to pry Hermione off of him.

Hermione looked slightly confused, but then she smiled. "Oh, Harry, don't you see? We _are_ everyone. Now kiss me!"

"Hermione! What is wrong with you? I'm getting out of here." Harry stood up and was about to disapparate when a owl flew through Hermione's chimney and dropped a letter into his hands. He recognized Lupin's writing and quickly tore it open. It read:

Harry-

A small band of Death Eaters was spotted near the Shrieking Shack. Moody, Kingsley, and myself are already here, but we need your help.

-Lupin

"Hermione, I have to go help Lupin. See you around, I guess," he said hurriedly as he shoved the letter into his pocket. He disapparated, but, unfortunately, failed to notice that the letter had fallen onto Hermione's rug.

Hermione grabbed the letter and read it. After tossing the letter aside, she sat on her couch for ten minutes, trying to figure out what had gone wrong. Then she got up, grabbed the potion book she had borrowed from the library, and skimmed the page on Love Potion 9. Her eyes found the warning label. Hermione read it twice and then threw the book across the room. She glanced at her clock. '_It has already been forty minutes! If he sees a woman besides me after those twenty minutes are up, they will be bound in love instead! Crap!' _Hermione frantically searched for her cloak. Upon finding it, she grabbed it and apparated to the Shrieking Shack.

Harry walked cautiously around the shack. Lupin, Moody, and Kingsley had managed to catch all but one Death Eater. Quite some time passed as Harry snuck around, all of his senses alert. He didn't see the slightest sign that somebody had been there recently. _'Here Death Eater... come out, come out wherever you are...'_ he thought.

Suddenly, as if his thoughts had been heard, a spell came at him. He ducked and saw the Death Eater fling themself at the door. Harry quickly shouted, '_Expelliarmus' _and the Death Eater's wand flew at him. Harry followed the Death Eater out of the door and ran after him. Harry shouted, _'Stupefy,'_ and the stunned person fell.

Harry ran and pulled off the Death Eater's mask as the last few seconds of that crucial hour ticked away.

"No! Harry! Don't! You're supposed to love me!" shouted Hermione, who had spotted Harry at a distance. However, Hermione's words did not register in Harry's head. He felt a wonderful wave of emotion flow over him as he looked into the clear eyes of Narcissa Malfoy.


	2. Adoration and Hate

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

Ch. 2- Adoration and Hate

Harry could not find the strength to pry his eyes away from Narcissa. After a while, he gave up and lost himself in her intent gaze. He tried to speak and opened his mouth to do so, but he found that he could not find words to describe what he was feeling at the moment. Harry simply stood there, his mouth gaping. Luckily, Narcissa saved him from further embarrassment and spoke.

"Hello, Harry," she said smiling.

"Uh…er…hi, Mrs. Malfoy."

"_Please_, call me Narcissa," she replied. Harry had obviously caused her some pain by calling her Mrs. Malfoy. At her grief, Harry was forced to recall a night not too long ago…

_Harry stumbled along holding his wounded left arm to his side. He knew Lucius was hiding somewhere close…. but where?_

_He finally came upon a clearing in the woods and there in front of him lye his victim, mortally wounded. Harry knew he could help him, if he chose to. As he gazed upon his enemy, he recalled all the pain, all the suffering that Lucius had caused him in the past year. He looked upon Lucius Malfoy with contempt. 'No one will care,' he thought. 'Everyone hates him, except maybe his wife and Draco. But I could get away with it…' His mind made up, Harry took a step back and yelled, 'Avada Kedarva!' _

"I-I'm sorry about Lucius," stammered Harry uncertainly.

"It's okay…. you did what you had too…. It's funny…I never really loved him…It's more like I had to marry him…but I did grow somewhat attached to him over the years," she replied, her eyes unfocused.

"But…I didn't have to…I wasn't supposed to…"

"I know. I suppose Lucius made life difficult for you over the years, especially these pass few." Narcissa was interrupted by the approach of Lupin and Hermione.

"Harry! Good work! We'll turn her in immediately," said Lupin brightly.

"But she was under the Imperius Curse," said Harry quickly. He didn't know why he said it, but something inside of him was telling him to save Narcissa at all costs.

"What?" asked Hermione.

"She wasn't doing it of her own free will. When I caught her, I lifted the spell, and she had no idea where she was or anything."

"You lifted the Imperius Curse?" asked Hermione unbelievingly.

"Yes."

"Well, are you sure she wasn't faking it?" asked Lupin.

"Positive."

"Well, all right then. Perhaps you should escort Mrs. Malfoy home, Harry." Lupin turned and left. Hermione watched him leave and then she turned on Harry.

"I know what you're doing. She was never under the Imperius Curse. You're just trying to save her. Just wait…I'll prove she is a Death Eater." Hermione walked away, but not so far that she couldn't hear what Harry and Narcissa were saying.

"Harry, why did you do that?" asked Narcissa.

"I don't know… I just did."

"But after all those years of rivalry with Draco, and after all that Lucius did to you, you'd still save me?"

"I guess so."

"You must have a reason. Why did you save me?" Narcissa looked at Harry so intently that he felt as if he might crack if he didn't tell her.

"Because I think I love you!" he blurted out.

"Harry, I-I don't know what to say," replied a stunned Narcissa.

"Say you love me too! I don't think I can live with out you Narcissa. Do you love me?"

"I-I," Narcissa stammered. She looked right into Harry's brilliant green eyes and finally answered, "I think I love you too."

"No!" Hermione said between gritted teeth. "What am I going to do? Now he loves _Her_ instead of me! And- Oh no!" she gasped. "What if somebody finds out that I'm the one that made the potion? I could get thrown in Azkaban! Love potions were made illegal who knows how long ago…" Hermione realized that she had been saying all this out loud and quickly clapped her hands over her mouth with a little squeak. She turned around to see Lupin standing open- mouthed behind her.

"Hermione! Did you really make a love potion?" asked Lupin shocked.

"Sorry about this Professor," said Hermione quickly before shouting 'Obliviate' and modifying his memory.

'_It's times like this that make me glad I decided to become an Obliviator,'_ thought Hermione. _'What to do? What to do? I have to keep this secret and find a way to break Harry and Narcissa up and I'll have my revenge on that…woman if it's the last thing I do. I need a plan… a secret plan… a secret plan that's…secret.' _ Obviously the situation had made Hermione slightly stupid. _'First I'll have to get out of the city…possibly the country…'_ She quickly apparated to her flat and began packing her things as fast as magic would let her. She pondered where to go when a thought hit her. If she suddenly fled the country, right after Harry and Narcissa fell in love, it might look suspicious. She plopped back down on her couch and thought about the matter. Hermione finally came to the conclusion that she would have to simply go on as if everything was normal, that way everyone would think Harry and Narcissa fell in love of their own accord.

Suddenly, Hermione's phone rang. "I didn't do anything!" she screamed. The fact that her phone was ringing finally registered in her brain and she picked it up. "Hello?"

"Hey, Hermione! It's Ron."

"Oh…h-hi Ron… hem…"

"Is everything okay?"

"Of course it is! Nothing's wrong!" she said quickly.

"Okay… Anyway, I was wondering if you've seen Harry lately."

"Harry who?" asked Hermione.

"Harry Potter… the only Harry we know."

"Oh! Him! No, I haven't seen him in a few days… Why do you ask?"

"Because he hasn't been home for the past few hours and we were supposed to over to the Burrow. My mum was going to have a small celebration for his birthday."

"Oh."

"Well, I'll ask Ginny. Maybe she's seen him."

"Okay, you do that."

"Are you sure you're okay, Hermione? You're acting rather odd."

"Yeah… I'm perfectly fine…Never been better."

"Well, if you're sure… Bye then."

"B-bye." Hermione slouched in her seat. _'Smart one Hermione…Now Ron suspects something…Stupid!'_

Ron hung the phone up and frowned. He really didn't like telephones, but had gotten one in order to impress Hermione, since she seemed to be so big on them and all. Though, he had to admit, it was nice to actually hear Hermione's voice. Ron thought about their conversation and his frown grew. He had wanted to say more to Hermione, something that would let her know how he feels. He shook his head at his own shyness. His thoughts then moved to Hermione's strange behavior. Ron pondered her behavior a while, but unable to make anything of it, pushed it from his mind and proceeded to owl Ginny.


	3. Growing Interest

Claimer/Disclaimer: Same

Ch. 3- Growing Interest

Harry walked cautiously up the steps to Malfoy Mansion. It had been a week since the Narcissa incident. He lifted the heavy brass knocker and banged it against the door. Harry suddenly felt panicked and contemplated turning around and leaving. His thoughts were cut short when the door was opened by none other than Draco Malfoy.

"Potter," he sneered. "What are _you_ doing here?"

"I'm here to see your mother," Harry said coolly.

"Why would my mother want to see _you_?"

"Harry!" said Narcissa walking to the door. "Won't you come in?"

"Why, thank you, Mrs. Malfoy," said Harry throwing a smirk at Malfoy.

"Harry, you know you can call me Narcissa."

"What? Mother, in case you haven't noticed, Potter here isn't even fit to lick my shoes, let alone yours. cough cough, half blood, cough cough"

"Draco, darling, don't you have something to do? Upstairs? Fifth floor? In your room? That would give us hours upon hours between lovers?"

"Did you just say…?"

(There was a loud thud as Harry fainted.)

"What was that mum? You know, the last part?"

"The part about time between lovers or…?"

(Another thud sounded as Draco hit the floor)

"Whoa… what did I miss?" Harry asked when he came to.

"Nothing, Love. We were just about to go upstairs for some quality time…"

"Ugggggg…. What happened?" asked Draco as he stood up. "I thought that you two said that you were lovers, but Potter, even you wouldn't be foolish enough to think that you have a chance…"

"Oh really? Well, for your information…" Harry was cut off when Narcissa pressed her lips to his.

(There was a third thud as Draco hit the floor again)

Later that night Draco sat in his room, his quill scratching away furiously. Every so often, he paused to hold an ice pack on the rather large bump on his head. He finished what he was writing, and walked over two where his owl sat perched on his bed.

"Take this to Ginny Weasley. She lives in that dump they call the Burrow. You better bring an answer back by morning, or else."

The owl gave him a resentful look before taking off into the night sky.

Ginny sat hunched over her rather lengthy Potions essay that Snape had assigned over summer break. She looked up to see an eagle owl perched on the ledge outside. It was a moment before she recognized it as Malfoy's owl.

'I wonder why Malfoy is sending me a letter,' she thought to herself. 'I should just bin it…. Though I don't think I can pass up a letter from a total hottie.' She smiled to herself as she pictured Malfoy in her mind. Ginny opened the letter and read the following:

Ginny-

What the bloody hell is going on! Potter showed up at my house today, uninvited, to see my mother. And I think there was something about them being lovers… but I don't exactly remember due to the head injury I received when I fainted. (If you tell a single soul that I fainted, I will make the rest of your life as miserable as I possibly can.) You know Potty head better than I do, so what the hell is wrong with him?

D. Malfoy

P.S. If you don't answer by morning, expect my owl to start attacking you viciously.

Ginny stared at the letter for a while. She didn't know what to make of it.

'First Hermione, now this?' she thought. 'What is wrong with everyone? Have they gone mad? Have I gone mad? Hmmm…. Maybe the two are connected…but how? Let's see… Harry after Narcissa Malfoy… Hermione gets nervous whenever Harry is mentioned… I wonder…' She grabbed her quill and scratched a reply on the back of Malfoy's letter and sent his owl on its way. Then she scratched a similar note to Ron.

"Artemis!" she yelled. Artemis was a present from Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. She was a tawny owl with curious green eyes. Artemis flew in the room and perched herself on top of Ginny's shoulder.

"Take this to Ron," Ginny instructed her as she fastened the parchment on the owl's leg. "And make sure he answers as soon as possible!"

Artemis gave a little hoot and took off into the night.

Ron yawned and looked at his watch. It was a quarter to one and there was an owl tapping on his window. He opened it up and Artemis flew onto his shoulder.

"Hey, Artemis," said Ron stroking her. He removed the parchment from her leg and opened it. It said:

Ron-

I just got a letter from Malfoy saying that Harry and Mrs. Malfoy are dating or something. I think that it may have something to do with Hermione acting weird. Meet Malfoy and me at the Leaky Cauldron tomorrow morning at ten.

Ginny

Ron stared open-mouthed at the letter in front of him. A few minutes later he regained his composure and scribbled a reply. Artemis went on her way and left Ron staring at his fire in confusion.

A/N (Jewelz)- Yay! We have a third chapter! **Jumps up and down for joy** Sorry it took forever! (glares at gemini)

A/N (gemini-magus)- Yeah, sorry it took so long. I had to deal with the whole being-grounded-can't-go-on-the-computer-thing for a while. Oh, go read my fic, Harry Potter and the Shield of Ignorance! It's really short, but I like it.

A/N (Jewelz)- Don't read it! It's Harry/Hermione! **Gags **

A/N (gemini)- Hey!


	4. At the Leaky Cauldron and then some

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or anything you find in the books. HA! You can't sue me! Nah na nah na nah na!

**Ch. 4- At the Leaky Cauldron (and then some)**

Ginny sat at a table and tapped her fingers on it impatiently. She glanced again at her watch. It was ten twenty, and Ron and Draco were supposed to meet her at ten. She sighed and ordered another butterbeer. Five minutes later, both of them rushed in.

"Sorry I'm late," they said simultaneously before shooting a glare at the other. They both sat down, and a moment later, both called 'waiter' at precisely the same moment. This caused another exchange of glares.

"What can I get you?" the waiter asked. They both opened their mouths, then stopped. They continued glaring at each other and it appeared as if they were having a silent argument about who would talk first.

"One butterbeer," said Malfoy. Apparently he won.

"Make that two," added Ron. Everyone remained silent until after the waiter had returned with Malfoy and Ron's drinks.

"Well, that was kinda weird," said Ginny. "Anyway, let's get down to business. Hermione suddenly starts acting really weird right after Harry falls in love with Mrs. Malfoy… Seems sort of odd, doesn't it?"

"Wait-you don't think the two are connected, do you?" asked Malfoy.

"Well, they appear to be, don't you think?"

"Er-no. Explain," he insisted.

"Let me repeat myself. Hermione starts acting weird right after Harry and your mother fall in love," she said slowly. "So maybe Hermione knows something that we don't know."

"Wait a minute," said Ron. "Malfoy, has your mother been acting dazed, mildly forgetful, and do her eyes glaze over when she sees Harry?"

"Well, she has been rather forgetful lately, and she has been slightly dazed…. Wait, aren't those the symptoms of someone under a third-party love potion…. But those are illegal… And—wait…"

Ginny looked at Malfoy and smiled. _'He's so cute when he's confused,'_ she thought. She began fantasizing what it would be like if she were to date Draco, but was called out of her dream world by Ron.

"Ginny…. Ginny…._ Ginny_… GINNY!"

"Wha, wha…. I'm up... what?"

"You looked sorta dazed… don't tell me you've been given a love potion."

"Don't be stupid. I was just thinking… no, no… it's a stupid idea… never mind," she said in hopes of hiding what she was really thinking about.

"Out with it, Weasley," demanded Malfoy.

Ginny glanced around as she tried to come up with something to tell them. She looked over at Ron and his wand was in his hand and he had it casually pointed towards Malfoy. "I was just thinking," Ginny said as she racked her brains. "Well, what if the potion wasn't meant for Harry and Mrs. Malfoy?" she said, blurting out the first thing that came to mind. Malfoy and Ron just stared at her. "Yeah, I told you it was stupid…"

"Yep," sneered Malfoy.

"No, I think you might be onto something there, Gin."

"Really?" asked Ginny and Malfoy at the same time. Now it was Ginny's turn to be glared at.

"Well, if it wasn't meant for Potter and my mother, who exactly was it for?"

"Er… I dunno…" stammered Ron.

"I think we're going too far with this love potion notion," said Malfoy as he rolled his eyes. "I mean, first of all, they're illegal. And, second of all, they're extremely hard to brew and- GRANGER!" he exploded. "THAT FILTHY LITTLE MUDBLOOD MADE MY MOTHER AND POTTER FALL IN LOVE! I'M GONNA KILL HER! _KILL _HER!" In his rage, Malfoy jumped up, knocking his chair over in the process. It was only after he had done so that he realized everyone in the Leaky Cauldron was staring at him. "What are you lot looking at? Mind your own business," he snapped. He put his chair upright and sat back down with a little snort of irritation.

By now, Ron was gripping his wand so tightly that his knuckles were white. He looked as if he was ready to kill Malfoy for even thinking about hurting Hermione.

"Okay, calm down, Draco," said Ginny.

"Did you just call me Draco?" Malfoy said with a look of disgust. "How dare you address me, your superior, by my first name with out my permission! Really, Weasley, you aren't much better than Granger…"

Ginny was beginning to get irritated with Malfoy and his ridiculous behavior. _'Calm down,'_ she told herself. _'If you lose you head, Ron will surely kill Draco…. Besides, he's still sexy.'_

"We have no real reason to believe that Hermione was the one that brewed the potion…except for her sudden odd behavior… Anyway, we're not even entirely sure if Harry and your mother are under a love potion. I mean, guys fall for older women everyday." Ron and Malfoy turned and looked at Ginny as if she was a complete idiot.

"Yeah… 18-year-old guys fall in love with women older than their own mother every day… right," said Malfoy with a sneer. All of the sudden, he got a weird look on his face. "Ugh… that's wrong in so many different ways…"

"No, you think?" Ron asked sarcastically.

"Will you two stop acting so childish?" Ginny shot at them. She was answered by a series of dirty looks. "Okay, that's it!" she yelled before standing up. "Get up you two! We're going straight to Hermione's flat and straightening this whole thing out! Move it!"

Ron and Malfoy stared at her open mouthed. They looked at each other and then back at her before quietly standing up. "Okay, let's go," said Ginny. The three of them Apparated to Hermione's flat.

Meanwhile:

Harry sat on his couch and just smiled to himself. He stared out his window and began to daydream about his dear 'Cissa. Things had progressed quickly in their relationship. Never before had Harry felt so strongly towards someone… except perhaps towards Ginny. Something stirred inside of him then, but he pushed it from his mind and continued thinking about his precious Narcissa. He began to wonder what would happen if they were to get married. Harry could see it now; Mrs. Weasley's horrified stare, Mr. Weasley's mouth agape, and the rest of the family's stunned expressions.

He shook his head. He couldn't do that to them… not after everything they had done for him. Still… he was an adult now, and he could make decisions for himself. Besides, they'd get used to it over time… right? Harry shook his head again. He was getting way ahead of himself, especially since he and Narcissa had only officially started dating yesterday. Yet, Harry already knew that she was the one… there couldn't possibly be anyone else… except-- 'No,' he told himself. 'Don't think about her. You have Narcissa now, and she actually loves you. Now don't go and screw it up.'

He got up, and still arguing with himself, Apparated to Malfoy Manor.

A/N: Sorry I haven't updated in a while…. School's been consuming all of my time… But now I'm on summer break, so I should be able to update more often!

P.S. Thanks to everyone who has reviewed so far! I really appreciate it!


	5. The Haunting Presence of Memory

Disclaimer: I don't own anything… how depressing.

**Ch. 5- The Haunting Presence of Memory**

Narcissa Malfoy lied on her bed and wept. Her love for Harry was so strong, so real… and so confusing. She had only felt this kind of love once before and not towards her deceased husband. No there was another man that she had loved… someone whom she had put all her trust in on several occasions… someone who still let her down. Severus Snape.

Narcissa and Severus were never friends at school, though she was sure that he couldn't have been too far behind her year. Though she supposed at that time she had been too obsessed with Lucius to notice the lonely boy in the corner.

They met during a Death Eater revel. Narcissa and Lucius had been married for a year and things were already starting to lose their spark. Ironically it was Lucius himself who first introduced Severus and Narcissa, and for her it was love at first sight. There was something extraordinary about his dark manner, something dangerously seductive in his voice.

They immediately became friends. They would meet in secret and talk for hours upon end. Each day Narcissa was falling harder and harder for Severus and before long he too was deeply in love. However Lucius was always in the way. Somehow he would always be there when Severus planned to visit Narcissa at Malfoy Manor. Then one day, the forbidden couple got their chance. 

Lucius was sent away on business to Romania and as soon as he had left Severus apparated to Malfoy Manor. 

"Why, Severus, I'm so glad to see you," said Narcissa with a mysterious smile. Instead of answering, Severus grabbed her and pulled her into a long, passionate kiss. From that moment on everything was a blur to Narcissa- a beautiful, surreal, wonderful blur. She remembered taking him up to her bedroom… how he kissed her neck so passionately… how her hands trembled slightly as she slid off her dress… the feel of his warm body pressed up against hers. She knew what they were doing was dangerous. Should Lucius ever find out he would surely kill Severus. But she couldn't care less. Not as long as she had Severus right there, for as long as that moment could last.

He stayed for two weeks; the two best weeks of Narcissa's life. She never felt more loved, more beautiful. There was nothing that they didn't try, nothing that was more wonderful.

After a while Narcissa began to feel guilty. She was, after all, a married woman. But one look from Severus was enough to wipe away all of her guilt, fear, and apprehension. He told her that he loved her. And she believed him.

As the second week of Severus's stay came to a close, they almost got caught. They were in bed together when there was a sharp crack downstairs. Lucius was home.

"Oh my god," whispered Narcissa. "Severus, get out of here! I'll stall him." Severus, who was a man of few words, simply gave her a quick kiss and began to get dressed. Narcissa pulled on her lingerie, hoping to convince her husband that she had dressed that way to celebrate his arrival. She walked quickly down the stairs; no matter that she was having an affair she was a Malfoy and a Black besides and neither Malfoys nor Blacks ran. Never… never ever… no matter the circumstance… would you stop pushing the issue here? I'm trying to write.

She took a deep breath and nonchalantly walked down the stairs like wandering the Manor in your underwear was a normal thing to do. Apparently Lucius loved the fact that she could be practically naked and not care, at least that was what she assumed judging on his reaction to her outfit. Narcissa allowed him to carry her up to their room, the same room that had recently been occupied by the two lovers. Thankfully Severus had made the bed, so there was no way for Lucius to know about her affair. And so she let him continue, wistfully thinking of the other man that had been in that position not too long ago.

Narcissa and Severus spent many happy days in the same manner; waiting for Lucius to leave on one of his excursions and then wasting the days away in each other's arms. Nothing could destroy their happy little world. Well, almost nothing.

Narcissa had never noticed the increasing regularity and length of Lucius' travels. She'd never had reason to suspect him. Never had thought that her deepest secret was identical to that of her husband's.

Lucius was cheating on her. She discovered a note hidden in his cloak pocket one day while he was at work. It was a sensuous steamy love letter in a woman's hand. The writer kept mentioning how she couldn't wait to see Lucius again and more importantly, certain aspects of his anatomy. Fuming, Narcissa looked at the signature of the offensive wench and a look of shock spread across her face when she saw the name Bellatrix signed in large flowing script. For the first time Narcissa felt the sting of betrayal. The fact that Bella- her dear sister whom she had looked up to her entire life- would do something like that to her caused a sick burning sensation in the pit of her stomach.

And then there was Lucius. She really oughtn't to have felt so terrible. After all, she was doing the same thing to him, wasn't she? Yet somehow this completely changed the game. Lucius was hers. She could fool around with whomever she chose but he was supposed to stay in line. Her elegant face twisted until the unmistakable print of revenge replaced her natural beauty. Oh she would triumph. She would not be made the fool of any man. After all, she was a Black. And although it may appear that Black men have all the power, every woman who had ever married into or been born in that household knew the true power lay with the ladies. Lucius and Bella would both pay and Severus would help her in her scheme.

She remembered that the day they were to carry out their plot Severus arrived two hours early. He had looked so dangerously sexy that they couldn't help but have some fun first. The way that their bodies moved and melted together almost made Narcissa forget about the plot. She just lied in bed feeling the warmth of his skin, the strength of his body. She remembered that twice Severus had tried to get her to start preparing for the task at hand, and twice she had pulled him back on top of her. Narcissa just loved being with him and did not want to think about what they were going to attempt to do. Finally Severus pulled himself halfway up, leaned over and kissed her chest.

"It's time," he said quietly.

And the events that would follow would change them forever.

Narcissa snapped out of her reverie as the telltale pop of someone apparating sounded in the main foyer. She got up, looked in her mirror, and wiped away the tears that stained her cheeks. She had really been in love only once before, certainly not to her husband, but her new relationship was making her begin to rethink the fact that had been the only constant in her life for a long time. She longed to run into Harry's arms as she had Severus's, well not run, she was a Black and Blacks never ran for any reason. Not for their lives, not out of fear, no way would any self respecting Black run. Regardless of how fast she was going, she still wanted to go faster and she was beginning to get confused. She had thought that she loved Severus but, after all, if he could be replaced so easily, maybe her feelings were changing.

Harry began calling her name from the foyer, in a few seconds he would begin to search for her. She checked her appearance one more time before coming out of the shadows of the second floor landing and down into Harry's waiting arms. She kissed him hello and put her arm through his. That simple motion felt so right to her as they prepared to apparate to the restaurant where their dinner would be served, maybe she was finally in love.


	6. Spilled Milk and Chocolate Cake

**A/N: **Hi…. Hi. Me again. Yes, I realize it's been years since I updated this, but I finally stumbled onto this old account and thought, what the hell? Why not? For the record, since this was begun prior to me reading Deathly Hallows, this fic is now officially AU, as I began it under the impression that Snape was still alive and I refuse to accept his death now. REFUSE. Though I'm not even sure I still remember where I originally intended to go with this, I'm going to give it a whirl again. Enjoy.

**Chapter 6 – Spilled Milk and Chocolate Cake**

Hermione Granger sat at her kitchen table, staring at the bowl of cereal she had just poured for herself. She gently rocked back in forth in her chair, humming to herself as she watched the bits of wheat float around and turn to mush in their milky puddle. She knew she should eat something, but her appetite had been scarce ever since that unfortunate incident.

Her time since the event had been spent fretting over every book on love potions that she could manage to get her hands on. She was quite certain at this point that the owner of Flourish and Blott's had a section of books pulled just for her to save the time of having to through the back room to pull out volumes no one had looked at in fifty years. She rather suspected at this point that she had every book in existence on the topic sitting in her living room.

Hermione bit her lip and stared at the clock on the wall, listening to the slow ticking of time passing by, time that Harry was surely spending with Narcissa Malfoy…

The potion would wear off, eventually. Narcissa would not know to re-administer it; in fact, Hermione doubted she had the ability to brew the potion in the first place. Things would get better. They simply had to.

But could she wait that long?

"Damn it all!" She slammed her fist onto the table, knocking her bowl of cereal onto her lap in the process. She jumped up and the bowl clattered onto the floor, cracking into two. Hermione had grown up having the old adage "don't cry over spilled milk" quoted to her on a near daily basis by her father, but unfortunately Mr. Granger's attempts to instill a sense of practicality in his daughter had failed on that one account. Hermione felt foolish for her blubbering, but that did not seem to matter anymore.

She had failed. She had failed to obtain the object of her affection, she had failed at completing a simple task, and now she was failing in her attempts to rectify the situation. She wished for a moment that she were back at Hogwarts, where she never failed.

And then she burst into laughter.

Clearly she, Hermione Jean Granger, had finally cracked.

Yet the answer was so simple. Of course she would return to Hogwarts, the one library at her disposal that would contain the books she could not get her hands on elsewhere. Moreover, it was now the home to two of the most brilliant minds in potions seen in the recent centuries. While she sincerely doubted Severus Snape would be inclined to help her, despite everything that had happened since she had last sat in his classroom.

Horace Slughorn, however… Due to the surprising surge in interest in the art of potion making following Voldemort's defeat, McGonagall had kept both professors on the staff. Slughorn insisted that he would be retiring again in a few years, after Snape had fully recovered from the psychological trauma of the war. And Slughorn was a far easier target. Had it not already been proved that he would give nearly any information to his students if approached correctly?

Hermione did not care that what she was about to do was stupid, reckless, and would potentially reveal her connection to the odd change in Harry's behavior if she was not careful with the questions that she asked. For the first time in what felt like an eternity she had an idea. She had direction! Hermione Jean Granger was moving forward, Hermione Jean Granger was going to fix her mistakes and get her man! Hermione Jean…

_Crack. _

_Crack._

"GRANGER!"

_Crack._

Mercifully, Ginny had apparated in front of Malfoy, providing Hermione with a human shield. The small redhead stood in front of the sleek blonde, blocking him with her arms."Malfoy, calm down, we need to handle this like civilized people."

"She's the reason why my mum is acting insane, and you expect me to be calm!"

Hermione looked back and forth between Ginny's pitying face, Malfoy's enraged one, and Ron's confused expression. Taking advantage of Ginny's temporary distraction, Malfoy broke away from her and took a step towards Hermione.

With a squeak of terror, Hermione turned once and was gone.

Harry was oblivious to the stares he and Narcissa were getting. All her could she was her, that glorious woman that sat in front of him, her hand in his. His thumb traced a small, smooth circular pattern.

"You're beautiful," he murmured. He was pleased to see a delicate pink twinge spread on her cheeks.

"Thank you," she replied with a smile. Unfortunately, not having the benefit of being the receiver of the love potion, Narcissa was fully aware of the looks of pure disdain that were being aimed at them all around. "Perhaps we might try a muggle restaurant next time," she suggested after one particularly old witch actually snorted in disgust when she walked by their table.

"It doesn't matter where we go, as long as I am with you."

"You're very sweet."

"It's the truth," he insisted.

Narcissa hid a pleased smile by taking another sip of wine. This was unlike anything she had ever experienced before. Lucius used to be loving enough when it suited him, but he was never one to openly declare his affections in public. With Severus there had been no opportunity to—all their time was spent hiding from her husband. But here, with Harry, it was all in the open for everyone to see.

Harry cut off a piece of his chocolate cake and, with a sly smile, fed it to her across the table.

Yes, she could very well get used to this.

**A/N: **That's it for now, kids. Leave me a line in a review! Did you love it? Hate it? Feel like cursing me for updating after all these years? Let me know! :D


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